Infinix has released the latest version of its popular Hot series, the Infinix Hot 5. Read our full review of the phone below.

Infinix Hot 5 – Design and Display

The Hot 5 comes with a 5.5-inch screen, with the phone measuring 154.8 x 77.7 x 8.35 mm. The phone isn’t bulky, but neither is it slim. It’s comfortable to hold, and its curved rear edges allow it to fit easily into the palm.

Even though it’s not a big phone, the Hot 5 still has a one-hand mode to allow users with smaller hands comfortably use the device with one hand.

One new design feature of the Infinix Hot 5 is the position of the speaker grilles, with both speakers placed in front of the phone. There are no physical buttons, so the speaker grille is the only feature of a very large lower bezel.

The volume rocker and power button are on the right side of the phone, and there are no ports for SIM or memory cards, as the rear cover is removable. The rear cover is plastic has a really good-looking patterned design. It comes in 5 color variants: red, black, white, gold and green.

The fingerprint scanner, as well as a camera and an accompanying flash are located on the phone’s rear. An earphone jack is situated the phone, while a USB port is the lone opening on the other end.

The display is a sharp, 720 x 1280 HD display, and does its job very well. It’s large enough to allow you use Android Nougat’s multi screen functionality, and enjoy it. The minimum brightness is dim enough to not be a nuisance in the darkness, and it gets bright enough to let you use your device under the sunlight.

Infinix Hot 5 – Software & Performance

Like previous Infinix devices, the Android OS is not upgrade-able, and you’d have to change devices if you’re desperate to experience a new OS.

The XOS comes with it usual barrage of apps, including XCloud, XSecurity and more. In this latest version however, the XPower app is now just Power, and offers an increased number of settings to maximize your battery life.

The phone runs on MediaTek entry-level chip MT6580, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, and 2GB of RAM. It’s not a sluggish device by any means, but can respond slowly at times if you’re a power user with a lot of apps installed on the phone’s 16GB memory.

The memory is however expandable with a memory card to up to 32GB, and relieves pressure of the inbuilt ROM.

It’s also not a high-end gaming device: While the device’s HD resolution may make most games look good, running high power games on it can be a chore.

Another drawback of the device is that it doesn’t offer 4G connectivity, but chances are you won’t need it as it’s still a growing service in Nigeria.

Infinix Hot 5 – Hardware

If the Hot 5’s software left you wanting more, the phone’s hardware gives you that more. Two things stand out in this area, the phone’s battery, and its speakers.

The device’s battery carries a 4000mAh capacity, and carries you on a whole day of heavy usage. There’s no fast charging capabilities on the device so you can’t quickly juice up, but if you’re patient enough to charge the device fully, there’s plenty of reward in it.

The phone’s speakers are also marvelous. The Hot 5 was pushed on social media with the hashtag #MyMobileCinema, and the device’s dual front speakers certainly give that feeling. The sound production is amazing, and is as loud as it as clear. It employs the latest Dirac technology, and it’s easily one of the phone’s best features.

The device’s cameras also perform well for what is an entry-level device. The front camera isn’t particularly good, but the front camera. It’s not perfect though, and produces grainy photos in low light.

Infinix Hot 5- Verdict

At N35,000, the Infinix Hot 5 gives you what you’d need at that price: a solid battery, a decent camera, and really good speakers. Decent product.